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IBM is getting into flash storage in a big way with its planned acquisition of Texas Memory Systems, a pioneer in the development of shared rackmount and server-based PCIe flash storage technology.

With the acquisition, IBM gets a head start on its top system competitors, and it is better positioned to compete head to head with storage rival EMC, as well as a host of startups, in the fast-growing flash storage market.

Texas Memory Systems, or TMS, was founded in 1978, making it the granddaddy of the flash storage market. It is best known for its RamSan family of storage devices, including rackmount flash storage ranging from a 1U, 10-TB model to a 42U, 140-TB system.

TMS also will bring to IBM a series of low-latency SSDs, as well as high-speed PCIe-based flash storage devices that plug into industry-standard servers.

IBM declined to discuss financial terms of the deal, which it expects to close later this year.

To date, the flash storage market has been dominated by smaller companies, primarily startups, who have introduced a variety of devices ranging from PCIe devices to SSDs to full-fledged arrays featuring either all-flash storage or a mix of flash storage and spinning disks.

In terms of the major storage vendors, EMC has grabbed the lead thanks to a strategy of offering flash storage in as many forms as possible.